In Echoes Off Embers
ABOUT
In July 2024, a group of students from Beijing arrived in Cangyuan Wa Autonomous County near the China-Myanmar border in Yunnan Province, embarking on four weeks of anthropological field studies.
This field study led to unexpected artistic reflections and reconstruction. In arrival of this unfamiliar territory, presupposed academic investigation appeared fascinating yet was not what the field work is all about: the researchers found themselves emotionally connected with the locals and “walked into” their cultural context. Profoundly appreciating the sentiments and contemplation along the journey, the field researchers draw inspiration from their individual experiences to produce a reflective art creation. As the narrative of 'conducting research' did not dominate their mind, binary and hegemonic power dynamics such as urban-rural divides, middle class-poverty disparities, and majority-minority ethnic distinctions spontaneously dissolved. What remained were the identification rooted in the artists’ subjectivity and the empathy transcending ethnic and temporal boundaries, allowing the artists to be exposed to introspective contemplation upon the concepts of the Outsiders and the Insiders. That may be the most incomparable gift lurking in a fieldwork.
As a result, 'In Echoes Off Embers' aims to construct an audiovisual artistic narrative based on the field journey by integrating the literary and artistic works of several field researchers. By depicting the multi-sensory experiences in the field from a first-person perspective and reinterpreting these experiences, we aim to reconstruct 'the voice of the Self immersed in Cangyuan' within a comprehensive context. This voice, initially individualistic, originates from direct on-site creations or memory-based reconstructions. The artists' individualistic voice seeks to convey genuine experiences of navigating the world of the Other. Furthermore, this voice is communal: we seek to interpret the collective memories of multiple artists by integrating works that share similar experiences, creating a 'resonance of collective memory.'
Notes
the Wa: one of the fifty-six minorities in China
the fire pond: a Chinese form of hearth or a set of fire instrument that includes firewood, a tripod frame, and a square-shaped fire bed.
「Guide」
——how to get to Cangyuan and find yourself
“In Echoes Off Embers” projects this field journey through photography, poetry, and chamber music. The narrative unfolds across seven chapters, seamlessly integrating three forms of artistic creation in terms of both timing and content. Readers are instructed to start by playing the recording of the chamber music piece and then proceed to browse through the content in the order of the titles once the recording begins. The narratives and emotions conveyed through each musical segments can be synchronously connected to the poetry, with time stamps preceding each poem corresponding to the audio timeline. The scenes and narratives depicted in the photography share similar memories and experiences with the music and poetry, enabling readers to dive into the “flow” of Cangyuan through the photographic works. Through a visual and auditory artistic language constructed by the three genre of art materials, we attempt to communicate the intricate emotions derived from the field work, exploring the boundaries of meaning.
